A few weeks ago I visited the site of the 1988 Red Bench Fire on the western edge of Glacier National Park. In an area about 15 miles north of Polebridge I came across the are in this image where the old burned out trunks of the previous forest are still standing as the new growth of Lodgepole pines form a thick bed of new growth below. This is the growth 24 years after the fire which burned in 1988. The new trees range in height from 4 - 10 feet.

The inflorescence of American Sweetgum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua) are paired male and female flowers growing in close proximity to each other. In the image above as well as in several of the images below the upright male flower "raceme" (red color) and the hanging female flower (cream color) can be clearly seen.

In the image below the new flowers can be seen beside several of the previous years spiky seed pods.

The star shaped leaves of the American Sweetgum are seen unfolding as well.

The European alder (also called Black alder, Common alder) has separate male and female inflorescence that bloom at the same time. The long catkin type male inflorescence can be seen in the image above while the small red female inflorescence can be seen in more detail in the image below.

The female inflorescence goes on to develop into the small "cone" like seed pods that are characteristic of this tree species.

Today´s tree for the Spring blossom series is the Silver wattle (Acacia dealbata) which has one brightest yellow colored flowers that you will find. I took these pictures this morning while walking in a local park here in Madrid. Only a few other trees are in bloom so for which makes this bright bloomer stand out all the more. Enjoy the pics!

The third installment of the spring blossom series is of the Cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera). In a previous post on this tree species I confused this tree species with the Malus x purpurea in one of the images. Hopefully I´ve got it right this time. This tree is a favorite as an ornamental tree both for its colorful flowers and for its purple leaves.

One of the first trees to blossom in the spring is the Almond tree, Prunus dulcis (Northern Hemisphere). The trees in full bloom often stand out backdrop of trees in their winter dormant stage with no color but the dull brown of their trunks and branches. The brilliant white to pink flowers are often the first hint that Spring is about to begin.

"Hanami" is a Japanese word that means "Cherry blossom viewing" and refers to an important annual event that occurs every spring in Japan.

"Many Japanese believe that the blooming of the trees symbolizes the transience of life and is an annual reminder that time is precious. The cherry blossom cycle is seen as a metaphor for life itself – a time to reflect on your achievements and think ahead to your future." BBC article

I recently came across several Cook Island Pines in Oropesa del Mar (Spain) located along the beech. For some years I had been wanting to photograph the pollen cones of this tree species but the closest that I had come was to one tree with the pollen cones about 20 meters high at the top of the tree. This time I was lucky to have the pollen cones within my reach close to the ground (images above and below). One curious thing about these cones is that they grow at the terminal ends of of the long whorled leaves.

The image below is of the Cook pines seed cones which are about the size of softballs. One curious thing about these cones is that the seeds are incorporated into the scales. Each scale that falls to the ground contains a winged seed (see bottom image).

About this blog

Exploring the World´s Tree Species is a blog focused on the tree species of the world and their importance to our everyday lives. It is estimated that there are about 10,000 unique tree species in the world. Most of us however can only name a handful of trees, which is understandable given that in any given area there are normally only a few dozen tree species prevalent. In this blog however my aim is to reveal interesting facts and images of tree species from all over the world. Given that I live in Spain and only travel occasionally to the United States and a few other countries the bulk of the trees blogged about will be from these places. I hope that by browsing through this blog you will come to enjoy the trees as much as I do.